Ariana Grande publicly supported boyfriend Ethan Slater at the opening night of his new Broadway show, Spamalot.
Grande, 30, stepped out for the show’s red carpet premiere at the St. James Theatre in New York City on Thursday, November 16, looking stunning in a glamorous black velvet gown, coordinating Calzedonia tights and sheer gloves. The pop star completed her look with a bright red lip and her signature high ponytail.
Spamalot, which Grande saw in previews earlier this month with BFF Elizabeth Gillies, is Slater’s Broadway return. Slater, 31, last starred on the Great White Way in 2018, playing the titular role in SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical. He was nominated for a Tony Award. In Spamalot, Slater plays The Historian/The Prince opposite Broadway vets Christopher Fitzgerald, James Monroe Iglehart, Taran Killam, Leslie Kritzer and Michael Urie.
Slater began rehearsals for Spamalot this fall, often sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses via social media. Grande, for her part, was caught dropping “likes” on many of his backstage uploads.
News broke in July that Grande and Slater sparked an on-set romance while filming the two-part movie adaptation of Wicked in London. (Grande portrays Galinda/Glinda and Slater stars as munchkin Boq in the film, which paused production amid the SAG-AFTRA strike.)
Grande and Slater’s romance came on the heels of their respective splits. Us Weekly confirmed in July that Grande and Dalton Gomez, who wed in 2021, separated after two years of marriage. Slater filed for divorce from wife Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a 12-month-old son, that same month. (Slater and Jay, 30, got married in 2018.)
While Jay later claimed she was blindsided by Slater’s breakup plans, Grande has remained smitten by her new man. Us later confirmed that Grande — who made her own Broadway debut in Jason Robert Brown’s 13 The Musical when she was a teenager — is living with Slater in NYC.
“Ethan and Ariana’s relationship is going very well and they’re both very involved in each other’s lives. Ethan’s met her family. And she’s met his family,” a source exclusively told Us earlier this month, noting that Grande’s family approves of the romance.
The insider noted that Grande “sees herself” with Slater for “the long term,” telling Us that the twosome have a lot in common. “They’re a little dorky and [both] theater geeks at heart. She loves that about him. It’s mutual,” the source added. “Their relationship is blossoming. It’s effortless with zero drama.”
